Joint for building-blocks.



O. W. FROST. JOINT FOR BUILDING BLOCKS. APYLIUAMOH FILED DBO. 21, 1910.

. Fig. 6 is aside elevation showing the heights 'nally of the edge', thegrooves in the top be- UNITED STAT-ES 'PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLESW. FROST, 0F PHILADELPHIAv` PENNSYLVANIA JoruirroaBUILDING-BLOCKS.

Specification of Application filed December 2 To all whom it ma'g/concern:

Be it known that l, (l1-mames lV. Fnos'r, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have inventedcertain new and useful Joints for Building-Blocks, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to means for forming a temporary joint betweenblocks of building material of any character.

The purpose of my invention is to provide the same form of temporaryunion for the junction of building blocks, particularly toy blocks, indifferentfpositions with respect to each other and to provide forvariation in the angles between the blocks. j

A further purpose of my invention is to provide a joint lbetweenadjoining blocks upon the same level which shall at the same time alineand join thereto' blocks upon .a different level.

I-have prcferredto illustrated my invention by thateform thereof -whichhas been found in manufacture to be most practical and suitable andwhich, at thev s`a`ie""ti1ne, presents the principle of my invention togreat advantage.'

F'gure 1 is a. top plan view of one form of my invention. Fig. 2 is atopplan view of the structure of Fig. 1 showing the range ot angularmovement permitted.- Figs. 3 and 4 are top plan views of the structureof Figs. 1 and 2 with the parts in different positions therefrom. Fig. 5is a top plan View of a slightly variant form. of connection.

of different sets of my connections. Fig. 7 is a perspective View of oneof the blocksl which I prefer to use. Figs. S, 9 and i() are perspectiveviews of the connecting parts preferred.

ln the drawings similar parts are referred to by corresponding numeralsof reference. I prefer to use a block of the character shown at 1, 1 and12 in Fig. 1 when toy use is made of my invention, though it isevidently applicable to ay great variety of forms of toy blocks as wellas to other building blocks. In this foi-m. of block 1, I prefer togrooveV both the top and bottom longitudiing` shown at 2 in order thatconnection may be made both at thetop and at the bottom to laterallyadjoining blocks and, in allA cases except/ the bottom block, alsao tovertically' adj oining blocks alined thereby. The grooves,

Letters' Pate nt.

1, 1910. Serial No. 598,587.

such as 2 2, preferably extend from end to end of theblocltsffr-convenience in cutting, though I .prefer to makeactual use ofthat portion only of the grooves in proximity to the side edges of theblocks. l also make transverse cuts 4, 5 both most desirablv throughfrom side to side of the block. these cuts, those at 4, the more remotefrom the edge, are used for the purpose of stiifening the joint betweenblocks in the same plane but might be omitted in this use. In sucttssivei rows vertically I prefer to. break joints, placing the blockaboveblock 1,ipr example, with'its right hand edge-in vertical alinementwiththe edge 6 of block 12. ".ln this ease the use of a clip such as 10vinthe slot 4 of block l2 is desirable to. stiil'en ,agail'lst lengthwisemovement of the block above it, as this block terminates in the po-Patented Aug. 15. 1911.

sition shown by dotted line 6. Likewise the block above block 1terminates at dotted line 62, and the slot 4 adjoining is useful for fthe same purpose. In each case the other end of the block is alsoretained against'lon' gitudinal movement.

I make use of ties between adjoiniirr blocks, showing two forms of theseties at t `a`nd 8. The form at 7 is bent at 9 preferably tothe anglehereinafter indicated, and the tie S is straight. These ties areanchored in each block either by other ties or by clips, transverse tothe ties anchored, and neferably of the form shown at 10. The ties andclips are each recessed laterally as at'11, there being preferably twosuch recesses in each tie and but'one in each clip. The re. cess 11extends through to approxnnatcly.

the middle of the ties and clips, leaving` solid material in linetherewith at 12 of approximately the same depth as 'the depth 4of thecut. In placing these anchoring ties or clips together, l" place themreversely so that" i the solid material 12 of one shall enter thelrecess 11 of the other, forming a joint therebetween and holding eachagainst n10-vement' with respect to the other. In Fig. 1, I show twosuch joints. .The one between the par. allel blocks 1 and 1 is made upof a straight tie 8 shown' as anchored by two clips 10.

The straight tie is here selected because it is desirable to maintainthe-blocks 1 and 1 in alinement should it be desirable to place theeXcess1\-'e"\vidth of the groove 2, pern1itting this side movement. l

In Figs. .t and 3, blocks i and l2 are at approximately right angles toeach other.

Here .l use a bent tie T, but with the bend in the tie directedoppositely in the two figures, each preferably having the squareposition ot. the blocks as the lim'it in one direction and having themovements away trom that limit. so as to form an obtuse angle in Fig. 2and an acute angle in Fig. 4t. Any internualiate position can evidentlyhe reached by this one angle of the tie. In cach case the anchorage isshown as formed in one block by the clips l0 and in the other block by astraight tie S with an additional and, under ,some circumstances,unnecessary clip l0 also spanning the tie 8. ,Straight ties 8 could beused for the corners as well as for the connection between the alinedblocks. as best seen in Fig.

In Fig. t3 l have shown ties and clips of two ditierent heights. Thoseat the lett end have width approximately twice the depth of thegroove-for the purpose of alininlg and joining other blocks Ain atierabove the block shown. Evidently they will unite the blocks ot the uppertier to each other in the same manner as those below, in the samestraightor angular relation, and at the saine time the ties and bondswill unite the two tiers against relative nievenient in other than in a.vertical direction. the tie and bond at the right hand end of Fig. o areshown :ef narrow enough to lie entirelyY within the grooves and aredesigned tor use against a plane surface, such as a. tloor, root', etc.

ln Fig. t'. show another way of proriding for the projection ot' the.tics and clips beyond the edges of the blocks in most instances andtheir entire inclusion within the grooves in others, by difference inthe depth of the grooves upon opposite edges of theblocks, so that thesame widths of ties and cli )s will project suitably from one edge otthe lock and may lic wholly within the groove along the other edge.Y Itwill be evident that the additional depth of the `groeve does not in anyway interfere with the' use of these blocks for successive tiers whereadvantage is not to be taken of the extra depth, as the edge in whichthe deeper groove is cut may be made the lower edge and the ties andclips will enter 1t to the extent of the projection from the block belowand to this extent only. The grooves 3', 4t and 5', represented in Fig.7, should be :naproximately twice the depth of the grooves 3, 4.- and 5in the same figure.

The bending' of the tie 7 greatly increases the angular range ofpossible placement of the blocks to produce other than square figureswithout interfering with the formation of a closed square ligure whendesired, and. as the position of the bent tie in Figs. l and 3indicates, the square corner will be more rigid because of the use of abent tie which in the closed position takes' up the lateral play of thetie in the groove 2.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by 'Letters Patent is l. ln a device of the character stated, twoblocks having longitudinal and transverse edge grooves horizontally inline, a

tie ittinginithe grooves of both blocks and having recesses in one sideof said tie, and means fitting into the grooves of the different blocksfor anchoring the tie against movement in either block,`,the tie andanchoring means extending above the said blocks for engagement withother blocks superimposed thereon.

2. In a device of the character stated, a tie bent. along a transverselineand laterally recessed at points between the bend and each y end ofthc tie, cooperating recessed members fitting with their solid portionswithin 4the recesses of vthe tie and their recessed portions inclosingthe solidportions of the tie and blocks within which the tie and memberstit.

3.111 a device of the character stated, a

plurality of blocks having longitudinal grooves in their edges incombinatlon with a bent tie of appreciably less thickness than the widthof the grooves fitting into the groove on the edge of one and coperatingwith thel other to permit angular movement of the blocks outside orinside of Arectangular relation of the blocks with dif- .fcrent facingof the bend.

CHARLES W. FROST.

Witnesses WILLIAM STEEL JACKSON, Tiros. D. Mownvs.

